Jere Knight Trail
Fuller Preserve - Bucks County PA

The Fuller Preserve happened in 1993 when our neighbors Peter & Joan Fuller donated 64 acres to Heritage Conservancy.  You can visit  Heritage Conservancy website to learn more about all of their great work to preserve land in Bucks County or see a map of conserved land that is part of our
 Cooks Creek Watershed area.

Peter & Joan created the Jere Knight hiking trail back in 1981 to be used as part of a Cooks Creek Nature Center.  The trail was dedicated to Jere Knight because Jere was a key person who helped get Cooks Creek protected as well as championing numerous other environmental issues.  She edited the original Lassie book that her husband, Eric Knight, wrote in 1940 as well as authoring several other works. 
Check out a short bio of this amazing woman Jere Knight

The  trail has been recently re-opened and expanded into a 1.8 mile loop that wonders through the woods, passes besides a Cooks Creek  tributary stream and climbs up past a lovely gorge and then to an overlook of a large neighbors field, through some old growth forest then across to an overlook of a farm on Slifer Valley Road and then through the woods back to the start of the trail head.  Presently there are orange ribbons marking the trail.   The trail wanders through the woods and you will likely see deer, an occasional fox, lots of different birds, a red tail hawk overhead scouring the fields for some diner and incredible assortment of trees, ferns and plants.

In the center of the trail is a Chestnut Tree orchard that is being used to develop blight resistant chestnut trees.  Article about Chestnut Trees

  The total hike takes less than an hour at a leisurely pace.  As you climb up the hill the trail heads off to the left.  As you follow the stream bed take the 1st fork to the left to go under a fallen tree and down to the stream.  Continue along the stream and the trail heads back up to the main trail loop.

  WPB Home Page                Article about the Trail             WPB Information Pages

PDF Map of Trail

This is an overview of the trail loop which is 1.8 miles long start to finish.

The trail head can be found by using the address
 2864 Slifer Valley Road, Riegelsville, PA.
It is about half way between Rte 212 and Rte 412.
 If there is someone else parked at the trail head
 you can park along Walnut Lane just to the East of the trail head

After you climb up from the road head left (East)

This is the start of the trail as it heads East overlooking a flowing stream.

There are orange trail markers


At the 1st fork bear left towards a Fallen tree.

The trail runs under a large fallen tree and down to this  stream that feeds into Cooks Creek.
 

This is the upper South East corner of the trail with a view of the adjoining neighbors field.

Please don't enter neighbors field.
 

This is the upper West section of the same field.

 OK to look but not to walk

This is the South West corner of the preserve meadow.  

The trail winds past all four corners of the meadow.

 There's a swing hanging from this large Oak tree.

Trail Head moving West

The trail winds through a sassafras tree grove

After passing through this tight grove of sassafras trees, the trail touches the West corner of the property with an overlook of the farm below at the corner of Hickory  and Slifer Valley.

This is the view of the meadow from the North West Corner before heading down. There is one more side loop trail you can take to visit the North East corner of the meadow before heading down.

Please Enjoy

If you have any questions please feel free to call Bill at 610 346-8484

If you enjoyed the trail photos,
 Bill's favorite Pics are at Bill's Flickr Photos
 or see some of his Travel Photos
 

Radon mitigation call Integra Environmental 610 346-8004
For consulting Bill 484 626-0993 - © 2021 Bill Brodhead